Dear Mina:

I mean to acknowledge how meaningful his words are to you, how they mean the world to you.

To me, the first statement; “With me, you can always be yourself. You do not have to try to be extra nice.” means that you are safe to be you in his presence, in his company, that he will not turn against you. It means you don’t have to … hide behind looking and sounding “extra nice” so to avoid being criticized, disapproved of. You can drop that defense, that extra nice defense. It is a beautiful thing, to feel safe so to just be you, authentically you.

His second statement “I feel really secure when I am with you.” means to me that he too felt safe in your presence, which indicates to me that your acceptance of him as who he is was received by him and led to him feeling safe in your company.

anita